HBO's "Hard Knocks" wrapped its 11th season last night, and this year's documentation of the Rams' training camp "should be considered the most vanilla season of the HBO series," according to Lindsey Thiry of the L.A. TIMES. Last night's finale focused on "cut day," and the audience "knew that’s how the Rams’ five-week training camp would end." But it was "still difficult to watch as 22 guys were let go." Among the notable cuts was DE Ian Seau, the nephew of late Pro Football HOFer Junior Seau and whom the "Hard Knocks” crews "followed throughout camp." In the Rams' final preseason game against the Vikings, WR Paul McRoberts "muffed a punt return, hung his head and walked off the field." He then said, “I’m cut, bro." Thiry notes that was one of the "most emotional scenes of the season with the realization that when afforded limited opportunities one mistake could cost a player his dream." However, McRoberts later "made a touchdown reception and eventually was signed to the practice squad" (L.A. TIMES, 9/7). NFL.com's Dan Hanzus notes part of the fun on "Hard Knocks" is "watching fringe guys beat the odds to make the team," but the "problem is, the show's producers can't look into the future." Players that were featured this season, including Seau, McRoberts, WR Austin Hill and C Eric Kush, "all found themselves in the company" of strength and conditioning coach Rock Gullickson during final cuts weekend (NFL.com, 9/7).
SEMINOLE REVIVAL: In Orlando, Safid Deen notes Showtime’s “A Season With Florida State Football” premiered last night, and redshirt senior QB Sean Maguire’s foot injury was a "major focus at the beginning of the series." Freshman QB Deondre Francois’ "emergence as a starter, evident in FSU’s opening win over Ole Miss, is also a major storyline." FSU coach Jimbo Fisher and Francois were shown having a "sit down where the coach told his redshirt freshman that there’s a method to his madness while pushing him in practice" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 9/7). In Tallahassee, Corey Clark writes the producers of the show "had an impossible task" as they had to try to "cram 30 days of practice, a quarterback injury, a viral video, a hurricane and the biggest comeback in school history into a 30-minute show." A 60-minute show "might not have been enough," and a half-hour show "most certainly wasn’t." But the "stuff between Fisher and Francois is tremendous." Clark: "It’s compelling television. Especially when they were sitting at the table and you could tell the head coach genuinely felt bad for some of the things he had said in practice. That was a nice, genuine moment." Also, the halftime speeches in the locker room "were great" (TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT, 9/7).
